Department for Transport

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the new Old Oak Common station will provide an efficient interchange for passengers travelling between Wales and the north of the UK; what organisations will operate those connections; and what the frequency of those connections will be.

Andrew Jones: The HS2 Development Agreement sets out the Sponsor’s Requirements for the HS2 scheme. At Old Oak Common, this includes interchange facilities with the Great Western Main Line and Crossrail services.Our current indicative train service specification that has informed the design of Old Oak Common station assumes that all Great Western franchise and Heathrow Express services will stop at Old Oak Common. This will enable passengers from Wales and other destinations currently served by Paddington bound trains to interchange with HS2 services to the midlands and north of the UK. The frequency of connections is an operational matter that will be determined nearer the time, but we would expect passengers and other stakeholders to be consulted on material changes to future franchise service patterns.

Railways: Autism and Learning Disability

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that train companies have effective accessibility plans for passengers with (a) learning disabilities and (b) autism.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: All train operating companies (TOCs) are required as part of their licence condition to have in place a Disabled People’s Protection Policy (DPPP) which sets out their plans to make sure disabled passengers, including those with learning disabilities and autism, are able to use the rail network. The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) is responsible for monitoring TOCs’ compliance with their DPPPs. ORR has the powers to take enforcement action where there are breaches of licence conditions, and the Department has encouraged them to do so. The Department is working closely with the ORR as they review the requirements in the DPPP guidance. In the Inclusive Transport Strategy published in 2018, the Department set out the actions it will take to make the rail network more accessible for people with all disabilities, for example requiring train operators to provide enhanced disability awareness training covering a range of disabilities including non-visible disabilities such as learning disabilities and autism to all staff. The strategy can be found on the Gov.UK website at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/inclusive-transport-strategy. The Williams Rail Review is considering the needs and priorities of disabled passengers in its work, and identifying how accessibility can be improved for everyone.

Shipping: Exhaust Emissions

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate he has made of the cost to the shipping industry of compliance with the International Maritime Organisation’s 0.5 per cent cap on the sulphur content of shipping exhaust emissions from 1 January 2020.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The international nature of the shipping industry means that regulatory solutions to curb the environmental impacts of international shipping need to be delivered globally. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) undertook an extensive review before finalising the 2020 implementation date for the global limit. This review focused on whether sufficient fuel would be available in 2020, rather than the cost of compliance. At the time, the priority for the UK maritime sector was to confirm the date of application for the 0.5 per cent sulphur cap as early as possible, to allow shipowners enough time to prepare for the new limit. The UK played an active role in this work, and was instrumental in ensuring that IMO confirmed the date of application in October 2016, rather than in 2018 in order to provide industry with greater clarity and time to prepare.

Shipping: Exhaust Emissions

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what representations he has received from the shipping industry on the International Maritime Organisation’s 0.5 per cent cap on the sulphur content of shipping exhaust emissions from 1 January 2020.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Government has regular meetings with key stakeholders in the maritime sector, such as through the Ministerial Maritime Working Group and the Clean Maritime Council, on a range of issues including sulphur. We also consult UK stakeholders on sulphur before any International Maritime Organization (IMO) committee or sub-committee which discusses the issue, so that we can take their views into account. Internationally some parts of industry have raised some technical and operational questions associated with the new limit, and the UK and other States are working hard with industry and NGO’s to resolve these issues at the IMO. Overall however, the shipping industry in the UK supports the introduction of the global sulphur cap in 2020, as an important step towards reducing the harmful effects on public health and the environment from air pollution.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Craig Tracey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate he has made of the cost of High Speed Two; and what recent assessment he has made of the value for money of that project.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Spending Review 2015 confirmed a funding envelope for the whole of HS2 of £55.7bn at 2015 prices. DfT remains determined that the project will be delivered within the £55.7bn funding envelope. The benefit-cost ratio for the HS2 network as a whole, including wider economic impacts, suggests that for every £1 invested the UK will receive £2.30 of benefits.

Transport: Finance

Craig Tracey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of using the budget allocated to High Speed Two to instead invest in (a) regional transport infrastructure projects, (b) upgrading existing rail lines and (c) reducing government expenditure.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Record investment is taking place in Control Period 6 with around £48 billion to be spent on the existing rail network over a five-year period from 2019 to 2024, including more maintenance and a huge uplift in renewals to increase reliability and punctuality for passengers. Together with new and refurbished trains, this Government is delivering an ambitious programme on rail. In addition, HS2 will deliver more than £2 of benefits for every £1 of investment. HS2 will release capacity on existing railway lines so enabling new or additional services to be provided on those lines.

Shipping: Exhaust Emissions

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of (a) open and (b) closed loop scrubbers on annual levels of greenhouse gas content in exhaust fumes from merchant ships operating from UK ports.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Government has been in regular discussions with stakeholders including industry, NGO’s and other States, but we are not aware that greenhouse gas emissions from these systems are a significant concern. All electrical systems on-board ships – including open and closed loop exhaust gas cleaning systems – rely on power which has been generated by ships engines which increases carbon dioxide emissions. However these amounts are relatively small, and the production of distillate fuel at refineries also generates carbon dioxide emissions. So any carbon emissions generated from on-board cleaning systems would be offset by lower carbon emissions during production.

Shipping: Exhaust Emissions

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of international trends in the regulation of exhaust gas cleaning systems in the shipping industry.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Government has been in regular discussions with stakeholders including industry, NGO’s and other States. We recognise that some ports and States are concerned about the potential impact of large numbers of ships using exhaust gas cleaning systems and consequently, have restricted or banned the use of these systems in some waters. Along with other European States, we have submitted a paper to the next session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 74), requesting that a work programme be established to consider the evidence on this issue, and amend the current IMO Guidelines if this proves necessary.

Taxis: Disability

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing mandatory disability equality training for licensed taxicab and minicab drivers.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Effective disability awareness and equality training can give transport staff, including taxi and private hire vehicle (PHV) drivers, the knowledge, skills and confidence to provide disabled passengers with the assistance they need. On the 12th February the Government responded to the report of the chair of the Task and Finish Group on Taxi and PHV licensing, confirming its support for mandating disability awareness training for taxi and PHV drivers as part of National Minimum Standards, and committing to bringing forward legislation when Parliamentary time allows.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

European Research Council and Marie Curie Fellowships

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 14 February 2019 to Question 220988 on Research: EU Action, with which stakeholders is he consulting on funding replacements for the (a) European Research Council and (b) Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions; and what the timeframe is for a decision to be announced.

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he he has plans to introduce a replacement scheme for the EU European SME instrument after the UK leaves the EU.

Chris Skidmore: The Department has worked closely with UKRI and engaged with wide range of stakeholders on no deal planning for the Horizon 2020 programme. This includes via the High Level Group on Science and ResearchFurther updates will be provided on Horizon 2020 no deal planning in due course.The Government remains committed to ongoing collaboration in research and innovation and wants to work with the EU on a mutually beneficial outcome beyond 2020. The Government wants to have the option to associate to Horizon Europe, depending on the outcome of negotiationsIn the event that the UK does not associate to Horizon Europe, the Government is committed to continuing to back UK researchers and innovators by supporting measures to enable world-class collaborative research, including support for small businesses.We will be seeking independent advice from Sir Adrian Smith on these measures.

Energy: Meters

Chris Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the extent to which energy suppliers will fulfil the smart meter roll-out of SMETS2 by 2020.

Chris Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the target is for the roll-out of smart meters by energy suppliers by 2020.

Claire Perry: The Government has a manifesto commitment to ensure that smart meters are offered to every household and business by the end of 2020.

Manufacturing Industries: Robots

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of UK factories that used robots in the manufacturing process in each year since 2010.

Richard Harrington: Holding answer received on 05 March 2019



The information requested is not available centrally from official sources. However, according to the International Federation of Robotics, the UK ranks 22nd in the world with a robot density of 71 units per 10,000 employees, slightly under the global average of 74 units. The industry-led initiative, Made Smarter Review, has highlighted how UK manufacturing can be transformed through the adoption of industrial digital technology – including that of Robotics and Artificial Intelligence – boosting UK manufacturing by £455bn, reducing CO2 emissions by 4.5%, and creating a net gain of 175,000 jobs. Government has pledged to make the UK a global leader in industrial digitalisation, and has committed up to £141m to the Made Smarter programme.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Hebron

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Israeli counterpart on the decision of the Israeli Prime Minister to expel the Temporary International Presence in Hebron.

Alistair Burt: ​I discussed our concerns with the Israeli Ambassador to the UK on 30 January and also expressed these concerns in a tweet on 2 February. Our Ambassador to Israel raised our concerns over this decision with the Israeli authorities on 29 January.

Nigeria: Elections

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the conduct of the 2019 Nigerian elections, and if he will make a statement.

Harriett Baldwin: ​The British Government, along with our international partners, believes that the Nigerian people can have confidence in the result of the Nigerian presidential election. The result declared by the Nigerian election commission is consistent with the result obtained through the civil society parallel vote tabulation. As the British Government statement of 27 February notes, independent Nigerian voices have expressed concerns about the conduct of the electoral process, including logistics and results collation, and reports of intimidation of election officials. We encourage the Nigerian authorities to examine all allegations of wrongdoing carefully, and take the necessary action against individuals found responsible.

North Korea: USA

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in the US Administration on the summit in Vietnam between the US President and the Supreme Leader of North Korea.

Mark Field: The Foreign Secretary regularly discusses with US Secretary of State Pompeo how to resolve the threat posed by North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. We hope that the talks in Vietnam between President Trump and Kim Jong Un will prove a basis for progress. We will continue to work closely with the US and our partners to support negotiations and to implement sanctions in full until North Korea's complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation.

Hong Kong: Extradition

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has had discussions with the Chief Executive of Hong Kong on that Government's amendment of its extradition laws to include the People's Republic of China.

Mark Field: We are aware of the Hong Kong Government's proposals to change extradition legislation and are following the matter closely. A public consultation on the proposals will end next month. It would not be appropriate to comment while the consultation is ongoing.It remains the British Government's view that, for Hong Kong's future success, it is essential that Hong Kong enjoys, and is seen to enjoy, the full measure of its high degree of autonomy and rule of law as set out in the Joint Declaration and enshrined in the Basic Law, in keeping with the commitment to "One Country, Two Systems".

Christianity: Oppression

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what budget has been allocated to the independent review of his Department's work on supporting persecuted Christians.

Mark Field: We will ensure the Bishop of Truro is well supported and has the resources needed throughout the duration of the review he chairs. Final figures for the cost of the review will be published in due course.

Christianity: Oppression

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which studies informed his statement at the launch of the independent review of his Department's work in supporting persecuted Christians that 80 per cent of people who experience religious persecution are Christian.

Mark Field: The statistic referenced is cited in a report "Response to Persecution: Findings of the Under Caesar's Sword Project on Global Christian Communities", led by the Notre Dame Centre for Ethics and Culture, the Religious Freedom Institute, and Georgetown University's Religious Freedom Research Project. In addition, a 2016 Pew Research Centre study found that Christians were the most widely targeted group in 144 countries, up from 128 in 2015.

Nigeria: Human Trafficking

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of UK aid in tackling human trafficking in Nigeria.

Harriett Baldwin: ​UKAid contributions to UK-Nigerian law enforcement partnerships have resulted in arrests and rescue of victims. UKAid support to the 2017 UN General Assembly and the Prime Minister's Call to Action to end modern slavery has helped develop Nigerian Government commitment to investing in anti-slavery initiatives. Other UKAid support for prevention, prosecution of traffickers, protection of high risk communities and support to victims are just beginning and their effectiveness cannot yet be judged. Learning and evaluation components are included in all interventions to ensure effectiveness is tracked.

India: Terrorism

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the human rights implications of the four killings by Indian military and paramilitary forces in the town of Pulwama on 18 February 2019.

Mark Field: We are aware of reports of violence and action in Kashmir. Intercommunal violence and evictions of this type are never acceptable. We encourage all states to uphold their international human rights obligations and make clear that any allegations must be investigated thoroughly, promptly and transparently.

India: Terrorism

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make an assessment of reports of revenge violence and revenge evictions against people of Kashmiri origin in India after the suicide attack of 14 February 2019.

Mark Field: We are aware of reports of violence and action in Kashmir. Intercommunal violence and evictions of this type are never acceptable. We encourage all states to uphold their international human rights obligations and make clear that any allegations must be investigated thoroughly, promptly and transparently.

Carbon Monoxide: Poisoning

Liz Twist: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will (a) collate and (b) publish data on the number of Britons poisoned by carbon monoxide when holidaying overseas.

Harriett Baldwin: The safety of British holidaymakers is of paramount concern to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). We provide travel advice for 225 countries and territories to help British nationals make informed decisions about foreign travel and plan for a safe trip. Our foreign travel checklist on GOV.UK and several country-specific travel advice pages contain information and advice on the risks of carbon monoxide poisoning, including a link to the Be Alarmed campaign website.The FCO publishes annual data on consular assistance provided to British nationals worldwide, including hospitalisation cases. We also work closely with Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) and UK tour operators to understand local issues that have affected British holidaymakers. We do not collate specific data for cases of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Carbon Monoxide: Poisoning

Liz Twist: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will help to protect Britons holidaying overseas from carbon monoxide poisoning by establishing a programme advising them to take a portable carbon monoxide monitor on their trip.

Harriett Baldwin: The safety of British holidaymakers is of paramount concern to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). We provide travel advice for 225 countries and territories to help British nationals make informed decisions about foreign travel and plan for a safe trip. Our foreign travel checklist on GOV.UK and several country-specific travel advice pages contain information and advice on the risks of carbon monoxide poisoning, including a link to the Be Alarmed campaign website.The FCO publishes annual data on consular assistance provided to British nationals worldwide, including hospitalisation cases. We also work closely with Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) and UK tour operators to understand local issues that have affected British holidaymakers. We do not collate specific data for cases of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Christianity: Oppression

Ross Thomson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will convene an emergency international summit, hosted in London, to co-ordinate a response to the attacks on Christians around the world.

Mark Field: We British Government Ministers regularly raise our concerns about the persecution of religious minorities, including Christians, where this occurs. The Government works with a large number of NGOs, to help promote and protect freedom of religion or belief. We use information from a wide range of sources to inform our work. The Foreign Secretary has asked the Bishop of Truro to conduct an independent review of the persecution of Christians around the world to help inform this important area of our work to ensure it is targeted and effective. There are no plans to host an emergency international summit on this matter.

Nigeria: Christianity

Ross Thomson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will hold discussions with his Nigerian counterpart on (a) the rescue of Leah Sharibu and other people kidnapped by Boko Haram and (b) ending the violence against Christians in Nigeria’s middle belt.

Harriett Baldwin: The UK repeatedly calls for the release of all those abducted by Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa (ISWA) including Leah Sharibu. We will continue to use our public messaging and extensive engagement with the Government of Nigeria to secure their release. The Government of Nigeria has given assurances that they are making all efforts to secure Leah's release.We regularly raise our concerns about intercommunal violence with the Nigerian Government at the highest levels. Our assessment is that religious identity is a factor but the root causes are highly complex, including disputes over land, farming rights, the impact of climate change, grazing routes and access to water. Our High Commission in Abuja is engaging closely with international partners, the Nigerian government, state governments and the National Economic Council to develop measures which address the underlying causes of the conflict, including the recently-announced bi-partisan National Livestock Transformation Plan.​

Burma: Christianity

Ross Thomson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to support the rights of Christian minorities in Burma.

Mark Field: The British Government continues to express out concern at restrictions on freedom of religion and belief in Burma. The Minister for the Commonwealth and the United Nations raised the UK's concerns about persecution faced by Christian and other minorities in Burma in his speech to the Human Rights Council in February 2018. The UK, working with the EU and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, secured a UN Human Rights Council Resolution on 27 September 2018 that called for the amending or repealing of discriminatory provisions of the "protection of race and religion laws" in Burma covering religious conversion, interfaith marriage, monogamy and population control. The British Ambassador met the Burmese Minister for Religious Affairs on 9 August 2018, and underlined the importance of interfaith dialogue.

Philippines: Christianity

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in the Phillipines on the steps being taken to support an end to violence against Christians in that country.

Mark Field: The Philippines is an overwhelmingly Catholic country and incidents of violence against Christians based on their faith are rare. The British Embassy in Manila takes every opportunity to promote our values including human rights and freedom of expression. This includes regular dialogue with the Philippine Government.My Hon Friend, the Prime Minister's Trade Envoy to Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, Richard Graham MP, raised these issues with senior members of the Philippines Government during a recent visit to Manila. They were also raised at the UK - Philippines High Level talks that took place in November 2018.The Foreign Secretary and I publicly condemned the terror attack on the Catholic Cathedral on the island of Jolo on 27 January. The UK believes places of religious worship are sites for peace and reflection.In January 2019 the UK launched its review into what more the Foreign and Commonwealth Office network can do to support religious freedoms for Christians around the world.

Zimbabwe: Demonstrations

Mr Adrian Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he is making to the Zimbabwean Government on respecting the rights of protesters.

Harriett Baldwin: ​We continue to call on the Government of Zimbabwe to investigate all allegations of human rights violations and urge them to follow the due process of law for all those arrested in connection to January's protests. The British Embassy in Harare regularly raise the rights of protestors in their meetings with the Government of Zimbabwe.I summoned the Zimbabwean Ambassador on 17 January to urge the security forces to stop using disproportionate force and reinforce the right of the people of Zimbabwe to protest. On 30 January, I spoke to Zimbabwean Foreign Minister Moyo, repeating our calls for an end to human rights abuses and a full investigation into all alleged abuse, including arbitrary arrests.

British Overseas Territories: Politics and Government

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the Government's policy is on UK nationals running for office in the Overseas Territories.

Sir Alan Duncan: Local governments of Overseas Territories (OTs) set their own rules on who can vote or can hold office in the OTs. In their report entitled "Global Britain and the British Overseas Territories: Resetting the relationship", the Foreign Affairs Committee (FAC) recommended that we initiate a consultation with the elected governments of the OTs to agree a plan to ensure that there is a pathway for all resident UK and British Overseas Territory citizens to be able to vote and hold elected office in territory. We will be considering this and its other recommendations and responding to the FAC in due course.

Tanzania: Diplomatic Relations

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent steps he has taken to strengthen the UK's diplomatic relationship with Tanzania.

Harriett Baldwin: We have enjoyed good relations with the United Republic of Tanzania since its independence in the 1960s. A range of Whitehall Departments, including Department for International Development (DFID) are represented in our High Commission in Dar es Salaam covering the broad range of interests we share with the Government of Tanzania. Tanzania is one of the largest recipients of British Overseas Development Aid (around £150m per annum).In a sign of our deep and long-term relationship with Africa, we are increasing the British diplomatic presence in sub-Saharan Africa, including Tanzania, so we can develop more effective partnerships and achieve our mutual goals. And finally the appointment of the Hon Member for Romford as the Prime Minister's Trade Envoy to Tanzania will only serve to cement further our bilateral relationship.

British Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether it remains Government policy to relinquish control of the Chagos Islands after they are no longer required for defence purposes.

Sir Alan Duncan: We reiterate our longstanding commitment to cede sovereignty when we no longer need the territory for defence purposes.

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Government

Theresa Villiers: What steps she is taking to seek the restoration of power-sharing devolved government in Northern Ireland.

Karen Bradley: I am working closely with the main Northern Ireland parties to restore devolved government. I met the five main political parties on 15 February, and again - with the exception of one party - on 1 March. Northern Ireland needs a functioning Executive and Assembly and that is what this Government is determined to achieve.

Department of Health and Social Care

22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome

David Duguid: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect on the public purse of adding a test for 22q11 deletion syndrome to the newborn blood spot test.

David Duguid: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his Department’s policy is on adding a test for 22q11 deletion syndrome to the newborn blood spot test.

Steve Brine: No assessment has been made on adding a test for 22q11 deletion syndrome to the newborn blood spot test as the United Kingdom National Screening Committee’s (UK NSC) had not previously been asked to look at this condition. However, as part of the UK NSC`s annual call for topics 2018, a proposal was received to consider adding the condition of 22q11 deletion syndrome (also known as DiGeorge syndrome) to the new born blood spot programme. This is the first time the UK NSC has been asked to consider screening for 22q11. The UK NSC will be reviewing the proposal at its meeting at the end of the month and to agree next steps. Minutes of the meeting will then be published six weeks after and be made available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/uk-national-screening-committee-uk-nsc

Learning Disability and Autism: Preventive Medicine

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with what steps his Department is taking to ensure that provisions relating to the (a) health inequalities and (b) life expectancy of people with (i) learning disabilities and (ii) autism are included in the Prevention Green Paper.

Steve Brine: The ambition of the Green Paper focuses on both reducing health inequalities and increasing healthy life expectancy. We are currently considering policy options, and will be mindful of impacts on people with learning disabilities and autism.

Weather: Death

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reasons there was a high level of excess winter deaths in 2017-18; and what plans he (a) put in place to reduce those deaths in 2018-19 and (b) is putting in place to reduce those deaths in 2019-20.

Steve Brine: Additional deaths in winter months cannot with certainty be attributed to specific causes but the strains of flu circulating, in particular A/H3, together with very cold weather, as seen in some areas last winter, are likely to be important contributing factors as both affect the elderly and those with underlying health conditions. The seasonal flu vaccination programme aims to provide protection to those who are at higher risk of flu associated morbidity and mortality. Under this programme the vaccine is available to everyone over the age of 65 years, those who are at particular risk from flu, carers, and pregnant women. In addition, in 2018/19 we extended the children’s programme by an extra school year, so all children between 2 - 9 years, were offered the nasal spray vaccine to help protect them and their families against flu. In 2019/20 this programme will be extended to include all primary school children. The vaccine is also available to all frontline healthcare and social care workers to protect them from flu, and this was extended to hospice workers for the first time this winter. This season we offered those over 65 a newly available adjuvanted flu vaccine. We are also providing the National Health Service with an extra £420 million this year to re-develop accident and emergency departments, improve emergency care and help get patients home quicker. In addition, NHS England and Public Health England (PHE) launched a series of winter campaigns, under the brand ‘Help Us Help You’ to advise people how to stay well this winter. PHE is conducting a detailed analysis of the excess winter deaths over the 2017-18 winter period. These findings will be used to target public health messages as part of our plans for winter 2018/19 and 2019/20. PHE is also supporting local authorities, the NHS and other frontline staff through the Cold Weather Plan, and is working with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to improve energy efficiency and reduce fuel bills for the most vulnerable groups.

Department of Health and Social Care: Public Consultation

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much has been spent by (a) his Department, (b) Clinical Commissioning Groups and (c) NHS Trusts in each of the last 10 years on public engagements or consultations.

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much has been spent by (a) his Department, (b) Clinical Commissioning Groups and (c) NHS Trusts in each of the last 10 years on public engagements or consultations on the future of hospital services.

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much has been spent by (a) his Department, (b) Clinical Commissioning Groups and (c) NHS Trusts in each of the last 10 years on public engagements or consultations on the future of acute hospital services.

Stephen Hammond: This information is not held centrally by the Department, NHS England or NHS Improvement.

Migrant Workers: Pay

Steve Double: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with the Home Secretary on the potential effect of the £30,000 salary threshold on NHS and care services; and what plans he has to enable effective recruitment from abroad to meet demand for NHS staff after the UK leaves the EU.

Stephen Hammond: My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has regular discussions with the Home Secretary on a range of subjects including the future immigration system and its impact on the health and social care sectors. The NHS Long Term Plan sets out a vital strategic framework to ensure that over the next ten years the NHS will have the staff it needs so that nurses and doctors have the time they need to care, working in a supportive culture that allows them to provide the expert compassionate care they are committed to providing. Alongside this, the upcoming Social Care Green Paper will set out the Department’s proposals for reform of the sector to put it on a more sustainable future footing. This will include a vision for its workforce and proposals to boost recruitment and retention in the longer term.

Health Services: Staff

Craig Tracey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to consult (a) the third sector and (b) patient groups in the development of the (a) workforce implementation plan and (b) implementation framework for the NHS Long-Term Plan.

Stephen Hammond: The National Implementation Framework, to be published in the spring, will support local areas as they develop their implementation plans. Local implementation plans will provide staff, patients, the public and other stakeholders with the opportunity to help local organisations determine how to achieve the service and outcomes improvements set out in the NHS Long Term Plan. NHS England is asking local health systems to start this engagement soon and expect local politicians to have an opportunity to be involved in this, as well as other local stakeholders, local partners, communities, service users and patients. Nationally, the National Health Service is working with Healthwatch England and the Voluntary and Community Sector Health and Wellbeing Alliance to provide additional support to local systems in their engagement with local communities. The Chair of NHS Improvement, Baroness Harding, has been asked by the Prime Minister and Secretary of State to take forward the development of a workforce implementation plan, as part of the overall implementation plan for the Long Term Plan. This programme of work will engage with staff, employers, professional organisations, trade unions and think tanks to build a shared vision and a plan of action that puts NHS people at the heart of NHS policy and delivery.

Cancer

Craig Tracey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to publish the National Cancer Advisory Group’s annual progress report on the Cancer Strategy.

Steve Brine: The National Cancer Advisory Group prepared a progress statement in autumn 2018 which was shared with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and Chief Executives of the arm’s length bodies, as recommended by the Independent Cancer Taskforce. The NHS Long Term Plan, published in January 2019, built on the Independent Cancer Taskforce’s strategy and the extensive transformation work already underway around the country. NHS England will publish a report on progress in the cancer programme to date, alongside further detail on the implementation of the cancer objectives in the NHS Long Term Plan in spring 2019.

Naproxen

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 9 January 2019 to Question 205406 on Naproxen, what progress has been made on securing additional deliveries of naproxen.

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 16 January 2019 to Question 209362, what further discussions his Department has had with the health sector on the supply of Naproxen.

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the availability of naproxen on the NHS.

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of stocks of naproxen held by the NHS in the event that the UK leaves the EU.

Stephen Hammond: The Department is aware that supplies of naproxen tablets were limited during January and early February due to a manufacturing issue with the active pharmaceutical ingredient. During this time, we worked closely with all suppliers of naproxen tablets to expedite further deliveries.Supplies of naproxen tablets are currently available in volumes sufficient to meet national requirements. We will continue to work closely with all manufacturers of naproxen tablets to monitor the overall supply situation to ensure supplies continue to remain available. We have provided updates about the naproxen supply situation to the National Health Service via primary and secondary care networks and will continue to do this.We understand that naproxen, and other medicines, are vitally important to many people in this country. Our contingency plans include sensible mitigations for medicines that come to the United Kingdom from or via the European Union to ensure that the supply of medicines for patients is not disrupted.The Department is unable to discuss the specific arrangements for naproxen, because to reassure companies engaging in our contingency plans, we have committed to treating all information received confidentially, securely and to using it only for the purposes of the Department’s programme.A comprehensive plan has been put in place in the form of a multi-layered approach to minimise any supply disruption:- securing, via the Department for Transport, additional roll on roll off freight capacity (away from the short straits) for goods to continue to come into the UK from 29 March;- buffer stocks and stockpiling (where this is practical) or asking industry to build up buffer stocks in the UK before 29 March;- buying extra warehouse space for the additional stock to be held in;- supporting companies in booking space on aircraft for products which require an immediate shipment due to short shelf-life or specific storage conditions;- making changes to, or clarifications of, certain regulatory requirements so that companies can continue to sell their products in the UK even if we have ‘no deal’; and- strengthening the processes and resources used to deal with shortages in the event that they do occur.No one of these measures will work on its own. A combination of securing freight, buffer stocks, stockpiling and warehousing, regulatory flexibility, and clinical assessment and decision making, will be required help to ensure the continuation of medical supplies.Throughout enacting our plans, the response from pharmaceutical companies has been hugely positive. Companies share our aims of ensuring continuity of medicines’ supply for patients is maintained and able to cope with any potential delays at the border that may arise in the event the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

NHS: Fraud

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate he has made of the annual cost of fraud in the NHS.

Caroline Dinenage: For 2016-17 the estimated level of fraud in the National Health Service in England was £1.29 billion. The NHS Counter Fraud Authority will produce its revised Strategic Intelligence Assessment of the estimated level of fraud in the NHS in England for 2017-18 shortly.

NHS: Fraud

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many individuals the NHS Counter Fraud Authority has (a) investigated and (b) pursued charges against since its establishment in 2017.

Caroline Dinenage: Since its establishment in November 2017, the NHS Counter Fraud Authority has:- Completed investigations or is currently investigating a total of 148 individuals; and- Submitted evidence and supporting information to the Crown Prosecution Service in respect of 51 individuals.

NHS: Drugs

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to his oral Answer of 19 February 2019, Official Report, column 1315, on Leaving the EU: Contingency Planning, how his Department calculated the estimated cost of NHS no-deal contingency plans.

Stephen Hammond: The £11 million (approximate) figure quoted by my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, refers to the costs of the contracts the Department has signed with warehouse providers to provide storage facilities to stockpile medicines in case of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union without a deal on 29 March 2019.

Pharmacy: Negligence

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department plans to publish the outcome of the consultation on Pharmacy legislation on dispensing errors and organisational governance.

Steve Brine: The Rebalancing Medicines Legislation and Pharmacy Regulation Programme Board met on 18 October 2018 and 23 November 2018 to discuss the responses received to the public consultation on the draft Pharmacy (Preparation and Dispensing Errors – Hospital and Other Pharmacy Services) Order 2018 and the draft Pharmacy (Responsible Pharmacists, Superintendent Pharmacists etc.) Order 2018. After considering the responses received at length, the Board has recommended that all proposals made in respect of the two draft Orders are progressed - albeit with minor amendments to the draft Pharmacy (Responsible Pharmacists, Superintendent Pharmacists etc.) Order 2018. These proposed amendments will be subject to agreement with Parliamentary Counsel. The Department remains committed to laying the two draft Orders before Parliament as quickly as possible, subject to legal and Parliamentary time and European Union exit preparations. The Government’s response to the consultation will be laid in Parliament alongside the draft legislation.

Nicotine Replacement Therapy

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of prescriptions dispensed in the community for nicotine replacement therapy in each year since 2010.

Steve Brine: The following table shows the number of nicotine dependence prescription items dispensed in the community, via an FP10 form, in England 2010-17. There are various other routes in which such medication can be supplied to a patient from the National Health Service including from community pharmacies via voucher schemes and a direct supply to patients from a Patient Group Direction, this data is not collected centrally.  Bupropion HydrochlorideNicotine replacement therapyVarenicline TartrateTotal nicotine dependence201039,2981,549,892955,2422,544,432201132,2901,580,051994,7752,607,116201227,7901,397,993891,1102,316,893201323,7191,138,522741,5061,903,747201421,980841,077588,5001,451,557201521,831667,877517,2281,206,936201622,341567,087418,5271,007,955201723,338494,614395,808913,760Source: Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) NHS Digital Notes:Prescriptions are written on a prescription form known as an FP10. Each single item written on the form is counted as a prescription item. PCA Data Prescription information is taken from the PCA system, supplied by NHS Prescription Services, a division of NHS Business Services Authority, and is based on a full analysis of all prescriptions dispensed in the community i.e. by community pharmacists and appliance contractors, dispensing doctors, and prescriptions submitted by prescribing doctors for items personally administered in England. Also included are prescriptions written in Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man but dispensed in England. The data do not cover drugs dispensed in hospitals, including mental health trusts, or private prescriptions. Prescribers are general practitioners, hospital doctors, dentists and non-medical prescribers such as nurses and pharmacists. British National Formulary (BNF) Classifications The PCA system uses the therapeutic classifications defined in the BNF using the classification system prior to edition 70. Information on why a drug is prescribed is not available in this dataset. Since drugs can be prescribed to treat more than one condition, it may not be possible to separate the different conditions for which a drug may have been prescribed. The primary purpose of the BNF is to provide information for clinicians. The format of the BNF was changed with Edition 70 (September 2015 - March 2016) to make it more user friendly. However, the NHS Business Service Authority, who process dispensed prescription forms and collects dispensed prescribing data and produce the PCA data, continue to use the old BNF classification system to code medicines, which has become widely used in the United Kingdom as a classification to allow comparisons between drug groups. For example, it is used to report cost and trend in medicines use and supports several NHS Digital official publications. The data are used in many NHS IT systems.

Nicotine Replacement Therapy

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how his Department records prescriptions for nicotine replacement therapy dispensed in hospital; how many such prescriptions were dispensed in each year since 2010; whether he plans to increase the number of those prescriptions dispensed in hospital; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: There is no central National Health Service collection of information on nicotine replacement therapy dispensed in hospitals in England.

Medicine: Research

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential effect on health research of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Stephen Hammond: The Government has stated its aim to establish a far-reaching science and innovation pact with the European Union, facilitating the exchange of ideas and researchers, and enabling the United Kingdom to participate in key programmes alongside our EU partners. The Government is committed to securing a Withdrawal Agreement with the EU. However, as a responsible Government, we continue to prepare for all scenarios, including ‘no deal’. As part of these preparations, the Government is working across a range of workstreams to understand the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU without a deal, and to ensure that the UK has the best possible environment for basic, biomedical, health, and life sciences research. This includes access to and mobility of research leaders and the technical and research delivery workforce; access to EU research funding; the regulation of clinical trials, data and devices; rare diseases research; and clinical trials supplies in a ‘no deal’ scenario.

Food: Labelling

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to bring forward legislative proposals for the introduction of compulsory calorie information on restaurant menus.

Steve Brine: I refer the Rt. hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for South West Bedfordshire (Andrew Selous MP) on 23 January 2019 to Question 210542.

Skin Cancer: Sunbeds

Ged Killen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the potential correlation between the use of sunbeds for tanning the risk of skin cancer; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: Ultraviolet (UV) radiation-emitting tanning devices, including sunbeds, were classified in 2009 as ‘carcinogenic to humans’ by the International Agency for Research on Cancer based on consistent evidence of a positive association between their use and incidence of melanoma. In 2009, the Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment published advice to United Kingdom Government on the health effects and risks from UV sunbeds and concluded that there is evidence to suggest an increased risk of skin cancer among those who use sunbeds before the age of 35. The Committee's Report is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/comare-13th-report The World Health Organization (WHO) report on ‘Artificial tanning devices: public health interventions to manage sunbeds’ states that melanoma risk increases with younger age of first sunbed use and with greater lifetime use of sunbeds. The WHO report can be viewed at the following link: https://www.who.int/uv/publications/artificial-tanning-devices/en/ A systematic review in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) showed that people who have used a sunbed at least once at any stage in their life have a 20% higher risk of developing melanoma than people who have never used a sunbed, and the first use of sunbeds before the age of 35 increases the risk of developing melanoma by 59%. The BMJ report can be viewed at the following link: https://www.bmj.com/content/345/bmj.e4757.long

Cancer: Radiotherapy

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, the proportion of cancer patients in England received radiotherapy as part of their primary treatment in 2018.

Steve Brine: The information requested is not held in the format requested.

Tomography: Inhealthcare

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reasons the contract for PET-CT scanning in Oxfordshire was awarded to InHealth and not Oxford University Hospitals Trust.

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on (a) accessibility, (b) cost and (c) quality of care of moving the PET-CT scanning service from Churchill Hospital in Oxford as a result of the decision to award the contract for scanning to InHealth.

Steve Brine: In 2017/18 a formal procurement process was undertaken by NHS England for approximately half of the PET/CT scanning services in England including the service provided to the population of the Thames Valley area. The evaluation criteria included clinical/service quality, patient access and cost. The preferred bidder InHealth submitted a bid which satisfied all the necessary criteria and achieved the highest score.Patient access, quality and cost were included in the evaluation criteria. There are discussions currently in progress with both InHealth and Oxford University Hospitals about mobilising the new service. There are also discussions with the hospitals in Milton Keynes and Swindon about the start-up of their new services.

Department for International Development

UNRWA

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether it remains the Government's policy to continue to support the United Nations Relief and Works Agency.

Alistair Burt: The UK has a multi-year commitment to support the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and we plan to continue to fund the Agency in line with that agreement. This will provide basic services such as health and education to Palestinian refugees in Gaza, the West Bank and the region. Both the UK and UNRWA recognise the need for UNRWA to reform to ensure its sustainability, and UNRWA has undertaken significant cost-cutting measures to respond to budget cuts and growing need. We welcome UNRWA’s efforts to broaden its donor base and are encouraging partners to step up with more funding and more predictable disbursements. A long term solution requires a just, fair, agreed and realistic settlement for Palestinian refugees. Until that happens the UK remains firmly committed to supporting UNRWA and Palestinian refugees.

Measles: Disease Control

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the number of measles cases throughout the world.

Alistair Burt: The UK is concerned about the rising number of measles cases globally and is supporting efforts to reduce these in low income countries through investment in Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. The UK is the largest donor to Gavi, which has helped immunise over 700 million children since 2000 and prevented more than 10 million deaths from vaccine preventable diseases. Gavi is helping to reduce the number of measles cases by supporting routine immunisation. This is supplemented by rapid vaccination campaigns to stem outbreaks when they occur and limit the spread. Over 67 million people have been vaccinated through Gavi against measles through routine immunisation and over 370 million people have been vaccinated through campaigns. The UK will host Gavi’s replenishment in 2020, demonstrating the UK's continued strong commitment to support Gavi's efforts to save children’s lives from measles as well as other vaccine preventable diseases.

Department for Education

Schools: Broadband

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of UK schools with internet speeds of (a) less than 10 Mbps, (b) between 10 and 30 Mbps and (c) over 30 Mbps.

Nick Gibb: According to data from Ofcom[1], there are at least 200 schools in areas that cannot receive connection speeds of over 10Mbps, and 500[2] schools in areas that cannot receive connection speeds of over 30Mbps.The Department recognises the importance of broadband infrastructure for schools. The Department is working with industry and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport to accelerate the full fibre internet connectivity rollout to all schools. In addition to this, the Department is supporting those schools most in need[3] that would not otherwise receive a timely upgrade through commercial routes. The Department has therefore identified hundreds of schools where connectivity will be accelerated by funding a new full fibre connection over the next two years, bringing schools, local communities and businesses onto an ultrafast, full fibre connection.The Department will be publishing the Education Technology Strategy in the spring, which will include how schools are being supported to overcome the barrier of internet connectivity to harness the opportunities of technology. [1] https://www.ofcom.org.uk/research-and-data/multi-sector-research/infrastructure-research/connected-nations-2018. This data refers only to schools in England.[2] The 500 schools include the 200 schools that are in areas that cannot receive connection speeds of over 10Mbps.[3] As announced in the Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review, the market alone is unlikely to support network deployment in the final c.10% of premises. The review can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/future-telecoms-infrastructure-review.

Pupils: Per Capita Costs

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the average of real terms per pupil funding for 5-16 year olds in England in (a) 2000-2010, and (b) 2011-2018.

Nick Gibb: Holding answer received on 04 March 2019



School funding for 5-16 year olds is set to be more than 50% higher in 2020 than in 2000, and the core schools budget will be £43.5 billion by 2019/20.The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) estimate that between 1999/00 and 2009/10, school spending grew by around 5% each year, in real terms per pupil. Funding was protected in real terms per pupil between 2010/11 and 2015/16. It was protected in real terms overall between 2015/16 and 2017/18. The Department is committed to protecting funding in real terms per pupil between across 2018/19 and 2019/20, following an additional £1.3 billion in July 2017, over and above plans set out at the 2015 Spending Review.

Schools: Birmingham Selly Oak

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the commitment in Budget 2018, when schools in Birmingham, Selly Oak constituency will receive the one-off capitalpayment of (a) £10,000 to each primary school and (b) £50,000 to eachsecondary school.

Nick Gibb: On 28 January 2019, the Department for Education published allocations from the additional £400 million announced at Budget 2018. Payments were made at the beginning of February through the same routes as devolved formula capital (DFC). As with DFC, individual allocations vary according to the number and phase of education of pupils in a school. An average primary and secondary school have been allocated at least £10,000 and £50,000 respectively. Individual allocations and an explanation of the methodology used to calculate them, are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/capital-allocations.

Schools: Finance

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what schools are able to spend their one-off capital payment announced in Budget 2018 on.

Nick Gibb: Schools can spend their allocations from the additional £400 million announced at Budget 2018 on capital projects to meet their own priorities. This may include improvements to buildings, equipment, and other facilities, such as ICT. The individual allocations for schools and other eligible institutions are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/capital-allocations. Payments were made at the beginning of February through the same routes as devolved formula capital.

Schools: Broadband

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of schools in (a) Wallasey, (b) Wirral and (c) Merseyside with internet speeds of (i) less than 10 Mbps, (ii) between 10 and 30 Mbps and (iii) over 30 Mbps.

Nick Gibb: Holding answer received on 04 March 2019



The Government recognises the importance of broadband infrastructure for schools. The Department is working with industry and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport to accelerate the full fibre internet connectivity rollout to all schools. In addition to this, The Department is supporting those schools most in need[1], which will not otherwise receive a timely upgrade through commercial routes. Hundreds of schools have been identified where connectivity will be accelerated by funding a new full fibre connection over the next two years, bringing schools, local communities and businesses onto an ultrafast, full fibre connection. As a result, fewer than 10 state funded mainstream schools in Merseyside are in areas that cannot guarantee connection speeds of over 30Mbps[2]. The numbers for Wirral and Wallasey are even lower and so harder to reliably estimate.The Department will be publishing an Education Technology strategy in the Spring, which will include how schools are being supported to overcome the barrier of internet connectivity to harness the opportunities of technology. [1] As announced in the Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/future-telecoms-infrastructure-review, the market alone is unlikely to support network deployment in the final c.10% of premises.[2] https://www.ofcom.org.uk/research-and-data/multi-sector-research/infrastructure-research/connected-nations-2018.

Children: Day Care

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he has taken to make childcare more accessible in North Herefordshire.

Nadhim Zahawi: The government provides the following significant childcare support to parents and carers:15 hours of free childcare a week for all 3 and 4-year-olds, worth around £2,500 a year on average.15 hours of free childcare a week for disadvantaged 2-year olds, i.e. all those families in receipt of Universal Credit, with an annual net earned income equivalent to or less than £15,400; families in receipt of benefits that currently qualify them for free school meals; those receiving working tax credits (with an annual gross household income of no more than £16,190); and children entitled to certain benefits or support for a disability or special educational need, looked-after children and certain children who have been in care, including those who’ve been adopted.30 hours of free childcare a week, for working parents of 3 and 4-year-olds. 30 hours is available to families where both parents are working (or the sole parent is working in a lone parent family), and each parent earns a weekly minimum equivalent to 16 hours at national minimum wage or living wage. This also includes self-employed parents.Childcare vouchers provided through some employers, allowing parents to save money by paying for childcare from their pre-tax salary.Help with up to 70% of childcare costs for people on low incomes through working tax credits, which in April 2016 increased to 85% through Universal Credit, subject to a monthly limit of £646 for one child or £1108 for two or more children.Tax-Free Childcare, for which 1.5 million families who have childcare costs will be eligible. For every £8 parents pay into an online account, the government will pay £2 – up to a maximum contribution of £2,000 per child each year, for children aged under 12. Parents of disabled children will receive extra support (worth up to £4,000 per child, each year and until their child is 17).It is the responsibility of the local authority to ensure that every child that is eligible for the 15 and 30-hours free childcare entitlement is able to access a place. Local authorities receive the funding from central government in order to provide these places, and in turn, pass the funding they receive on to the front-line providers of childcare service. Local authorities also have a statutory duty to provide parents with information, advice and guidance on their websites about how these childcare offers can be accessed locally.

Roads: Children and Young People

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Transport on educating young people on road safety.

Nick Gibb: Schools are free to cover teaching about road safety as part of their duty to provide a broad and balanced curriculum, including through their Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education provision. Schools can draw on resources available from many providers including, in relation to road safety, the THINK! Campaign developed by the Department for Transport (DfT). Information on the campaign is available at the following link: https://www.think.gov.uk.During the stakeholder engagement process and call for evidence about the curriculum content for Relationships Education and Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and about the future status of PSHE, the Department for Education engaged with 90 organisations and other Government Departments, including the DfT.On 25 February, following a 17 week consultation, the Department published an updated draft of the guidance on Relationships Education, RSE and Health Education, and laid the regulations for debate in Parliament.

Teachers: Training

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he has taken to ensure that (a) people on teacher training courses are trained in dealing with children with additional learning needs and (b) sufficient on-going training is offered to qualified teachers to ensure that an adequate level of training is maintained.

Nick Gibb: Initial teacher training (ITT) providers must design their courses to enable trainees to meet The Teachers’ Standards. These Standards set out the key elements of effective teaching and the minimum expectations for professional practice. In order to become a qualified teacher, trainees must satisfy the Standards, which include a requirement that they have a clear understanding of the needs of all pupils, and are able to use and evaluate distinctive teaching approaches to engage and support them. The Department published the Framework of Core Content for ITT in July 2016 to further support effective training. The Framework advises that, “ITT providers should ensure Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) training is integrated across the ITT programme”. The Department is currently undertaking an audit of SEND provision across ITT providers, which it will use to produce a best practice guide. On 28 January 2019, the Department published the Recruitment and Retention strategy and the Early Career Framework (ECF). The ECF provides a two-year improved support package for newly qualified teachers, providing them with support they need to help all pupils succeed and widen access for all - including pupils identified within the four areas of need set out in the SEND code of practice. Schools and headteachers are best placed to make specific decisions about how to support and improve their teachers, but the Department is assisting schools with this through the national network of teaching schools and the Standard for Teachers’ Professional Development.

Teachers: Overtime

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate his Department has made of the number of (a) paid and (b) unpaid overtime hours worked by teachers in each year since 2010.

Nick Gibb: The information requested is not held centrally. Teachers are not paid overtime as part of the national framework of terms and conditions. The School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document (STPCD) sets out the terms and conditions, including working hours, of teachers employed in maintained schools in England. The STPCD requires that teachers be available for work on 195 days each year, of which 190 are teaching days (the other five being for INSET); teachers are also required to be available for 1265 hours each year to be allocated reasonably across these days. The 1265 hours make up the directed hours, which are available for headteachers to direct the work of teachers. In addition to the directed time, teachers must also work "such reasonable additional hours as may be necessary to enable the effective discharge of the teacher’s professional duties". Non-maintained schools, including academies and free schools, are responsible for determining the pay and conditions of their staff themselves. Such schools are not obliged to follow the statutory arrangements set out in the STPCD, although they may still choose to do so if they wish.The Department collects robust information about teachers’ working hours in both the Teaching and Learning International Survey and the Teacher Workload Survey, including time spent on teaching and non-teaching activities.

Secondary Education: Admissions

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of children in the UK applying for a secondary school place who were accepted by their first choice every year since 2010.

Nick Gibb: ​The proportion of children who applied through the coordinated admissions process for a place at secondary school, and were made an offer of their first choice school, is provided in the table below for entry into the academic years 2010/11 to 2018/19.Entry into academic yearProportion made 1st preference offer  2010/1183.2%2011/1284.6%2012/1385.3%2013/1486.7%2014/1585.2%2015/1684.2%2016/1784.1%2017/1883.5%2018/1982.1%   Secondary application and offer data are currently being collected and are scheduled to be published, alongside primary level data, in June 2019.

Ministry of Justice

Dangerous Driving: Sentencing

Scott Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been given a custodial sentence for death by careless driving; and what is the average length of term for those sentences in each of the last five years.

Rory Stewart: The number of people sentenced to immediate custody for causing death by careless or inconsiderate driving and the average custodial sentence length in each of the last five years has been published up to December 2017 and can be found in the ‘Outcomes by offence data tool’, available at the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/733981/outcomes-by-offence-tool-2017-update.xlsx The average sentence length increased by 10% between 2012 to 2017. Select 4.8 Causing death by careless or inconsiderate driving (MOT) in the ‘Offence’ filter. The number of people sentenced to immediate custody can be found in row 35 and the average custodial sentence length can be found in row 54.

Witnesses

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been unable to attend court as a prosecution witness due to (a) childcare, (b) lost earnings from employment and (c) difficulty getting time off work in the last five years for which figures are available.

Lucy Frazer: Detailed information on the reasons for prosecution witnesses being unable to attend court is not held centrally by the Ministry of Justice. This information may be held on court record but to be able to identify these cases we would have to access individual court records which would incur disproportionate costs. However, it is possible to identify the number trial cases which were recorded as cracked or ineffective in the criminal courts where a witness was not able to attend/withdrawn. These figures are available from the ‘Criminal Courts Listing transparency’ file, at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-court-statistics-quarterly-july-to-september-2018

Prison Sentences

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what is the shortest amount of time that must be served in prison by an offender who is sentenced to (a) four weeks, (b) three months, (c) six months and (d) 12 months imprisonment.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what was the average amount of time served in prison by offenders sentenced to (a) four weeks, (b) three months, (c) six months and (d) 12 months imprisonment in the most recent year for which information is available.

Rory Stewart: Prisoners sentenced to a standard determinate custodial sentence must be released automatically at the halfway point of their sentence. Those sentenced to at least 12 weeks but less than four years may be released on Home Detention Curfew (HDC) up to 135 days before the halfway point, depending on sentence length. They must meet strict eligibility criteria and pass a risk assessment, and will be liable to recall to prison if they fail to comply with strict electronic monitoring and other conditions attached to their release. Prisoners must serve at least one quarter of their sentence in custody (subject to a minimum of 28 days) before they can be released on HDC. Any relevant time spent on remand in custody or on bail subject to electronic monitoring ("tagged bail") may count as time served towards the sentence but an offender must serve at least 14 days after the sentence is imposed before release on HDC. Table A below indicates the minimum period that must be served in prison before an eligible prisoner can be released on HDC, depending on the sentence passed by the court. In an individual case, this period would be reduced by any relevant “tagged bail” time directed to count by the court. Table ATotal sentence lengthMinimum period in prisonMaximum period on HDC4 weeks2 weeks03 months4 weeks2 weeks6 months6 weeks6 weeks12 months3 months3 months Table B below shows the average amount of time served in prison by offenders sentenced to (a) four weeks, (b) three months, (c) six months and (d) 12 months imprisonment in 2017.Table BSentence lengthMedian average period in prison4 weeks0.43 months3 months1.48 months6 months2.96 months12 months5.98 monthsThe figures in this table have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Shoplifting: Sentencing

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the highest number of previous offences for theft from a shop or stall was for a person convicted of a further offence of theft from a shop or stall who was not given a sentence of immediate custody in each of the last three years; and what the sentence was for the most recent offence in each such case.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the highest number of total previous offences for shoplifting a person committed before being given an immediate custodial sentence for that crime in each of the last three years.

Rory Stewart: A report by the Centre for Social Justice issued last year concluded that people addicted to heroin and crack cocaine account for 70% of shop thefts. MoJ is committed to ensuring the most vulnerable offenders, including those with drug addictions, are able to access appropriate support at the right time. This includes diverting offenders away from custody where appropriate. Unless we tackle the underlying causes of offending, we cannot protect the public from being victims of crime. Effective community orders can address offenders’ behaviour, answer their mental health and alcohol or drug misuse needs, and provide reparation for the benefit of the wider community. Data on the highest number of previous shoplifting offences for a person convicted of a shoplifting offence who was not given an immediate custodial sentence, and the sentence given in each such case, as well as data on the highest number of previous shoplifting offences for a person who received their first immediate custodial sentence for a shoplifting offence, covering the period year ending September 2016 – year ending September 2018, can be viewed in the table. There is persuasive evidence showing community sentences, in certain circumstances, are more effective than short custodial sentences in reducing reoffending. The MoJ study ‘The impact of short custodial sentences, community orders and suspended sentence orders on re-offending’ published in 2015 found that over a 1-year follow up period, a higher proportion of people re-offended having been sentenced to custody of under 12 months without supervision on release than other similar people given community orders.



Tables for 226078 and 226079
(Excel SpreadSheet, 10.98 KB)

Administration of Justice: ICT

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the probation and courts IT systems failure that occurred in January 2019.

Lucy Frazer: The financial impact(s) on operations following the IT outage are still being assessed, therefore at this stage the Ministry of Justice cannot provide an estimate of the cost to the public purse.

HM Courts and Tribunals Service

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Civil Service People Survey 2018, published in December 2018, what steps his Department is taking to address staff concerns on the HMCTS reform programme.

Lucy Frazer: HMCTS leaders ensure a regular flow of information to staff to provide them with opportunities to help shape the reform programme, and support them through it.Any concerns raised by HMCTS staff are highlighted and discussed through a variety of communication and engagement tools to ensure managers understand what reform means for staff.This includes analysing results from the People Survey to help create local action plans addressing key issues that require action and intervention. These are reviewed throughout the year and help ensure any concerns and issues raised by HMCTS staff are addressed effectively.A HMCTS ‘One Conversation’ cross-departmental engagement tool has also been created to enable staff to participate regularly in conversations regarding the reform programme.One Conversation is led by local leadership teams and uses interactive techniques and exercises to enable staff to discuss the impact of reform. Content is identified from several sources including the People Survey results and feedback from previous One Conversation sessions, and is validated by a cross departmental review group, made up of HMCTS staff at all grades. This review group provides feedback and challenge to ensure the content and design of the sessions reflect concerns of colleagues across the organisation.

Courts: Closures

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of court closures on the time taken for hearings to be listed.

Lucy Frazer: The Ministry of Justice has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Courts: Closures

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which courts have closed since 1 January 2009; on what dates those court buildings were sold; and what the value was of each of those sales.

Lucy Frazer: The sale of surplus buildings provides important funding for the programme of reform which is transforming our courts and tribunals. We make sure that the sale of former court buildings maximises the amount we can reinvest in modernisation. The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Paramedical Staff: Small Claims

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 15 February to Question 218376 on Paramedical Staff: Small Claims, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of provisions for injured claimants who are unable to use the IT portal.

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 15 February to Question 218376 on Paramedical Staff: Small Claims, what the timeframe is for the roll-out the IT portal.

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 15 February to Question 218376 on Paramedical Staff: Small Claims, what plans his Department has to undertake testing of the IT portal in advance of its roll-out.

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 15 February to Question 218376 on Paramedical Staff: Small Claims, (a) who is designing and (b) what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of that new IT portal.

Lucy Frazer: The new IT Portal to support all road traffic accident related personal injury claims which are valued under £5,000 is being designed and built in partnership with the Motor Insurance Bureau along with a group of expert stakeholders, including claimant and defendant interests. Aside from MoJ staff costs there is no additional cost to the public purse. There will be an assisted digital route so that users who are digitally disenfranchised will also be able to progress their claims. The new Portal will be tested from October 2019, and will go live in April 2020.

Department for International Trade

Oil and Natural Gas: Export Credit Guarantees

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether he plans to review UK Export Finance policy on awarding funds to support businesses involved in oil and gas schemes globally.

Graham Stuart: UKEF’s mission is to ensure no viable UK export fails for lack of finance or insurance from the private sector. Its support is available for UK exports from all sectors. We have no plans to review UKEF’s remit to support UK exports.

Exports: Advertising

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the Exporting is Great publicity campaign in the last year in (a) digital and (b) physical advertising.

Graham Stuart: In the last year (1 February 2018 to 31 January 2019), the total cost of advertising through the Exporting is GREAT campaign was £2.62m, comprising the cost of advertising in online digital formats of £1.90m and the cost of advertising in physical formats of £0.72m. The latest figures from 2017 show that up to 130,000 businesses took steps towards exporting because of the campaign.

Trade Agreements: Israel

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, with reference to the trade agreement between the UK and Israel, what steps he is taking to deepening the bilateral trading relationship.

George Hollingbery: The Secretary of State for International Trade visited Israel last month and, together with the Israeli Minister of Economy and Industry, signed an agreement to ensure continuity in our trade and investment relationship as we leave the EU. Securing continuity is the strongest foundation on which to build further on our successful trading relationship. The UK and Israel have an important trading relationship, which we are committed to strengthening through our dedicated trade promotion team at our Embassy in Israel. To this end we continue to liaise with the Israeli government on maximising future trade opportunities.

Free Trade: Mexico

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what progress his Department has made on a free trade agreement with Mexico after the UK leaves the EU.

George Hollingbery: The Government is seeking continuity for our existing EU free trade agreements as we leave the European Union. If the UK leaves the EU with a deal, then the UK will remain party to the agreements it is already part of by virtue of its EU membership, including with Mexico. Published on the 21st February, My Rt Hon friend, Dr Liam Fox, laid before the house a written statement, and information for business, outlining the current status of these agreements in the context of a no deal. This information can be found on the government website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/existing-trade-agreements-if-the-uk-leaves-the-eu-without-a-deal/existing-trade-agreements-if-the-uk-leaves-the-eu-without-a-deal.

Free Trade: Commonwealth

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of a Commonwealth free trade area after the UK leaves the EU.

George Hollingbery: The Government is strongly committed to encouraging trade between Commonwealth members, working with our friends and allies in the Commonwealth to remove barriers and liberalise the global trading environment. However, it would not be possible to agree a Commonwealth free trade area given that some Commonwealth members are also members of the European Union.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Housing: Construction

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what progress is being made on house building in each of the garden cities, towns and villages supported by the Government.

James Brokenshire: Across England, we are currently supporting twenty-four locally-led garden communities, to be exemplars of high quality, good design and best practice. This support has included the provision of £31 million of capacity funding to the garden towns and villages and nearly £300 million of infrastructure funding to Ebbsfleet Garden City, hands on expertise, support and delivery advice from experts within Homes England; and, cross-government brokerage to resolve barriers to delivery. Our support has helped foster ambition to accelerate the pace of delivery, with over 12,500 new homes now started.

Build Out Rates Independent Review

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when the Government plans to respond to the Independent Review of Build Out.

James Brokenshire: The final report of the review, chaired by the member for West Dorset, was published alongside the Budget in October. The Government will respond to the review shortly.

Housing Infrastructure Fund

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 26 February 2019 to Question 222600 on Housing Infrastructure Fund, if he will publish the assessments made of each of the successful bids for the Housing Infrastructure Fund to date.

James Brokenshire: Funding for local authorities from the Housing Infrastructure Fund is awarded on a highly competitive basis, providing grant funding for new infrastructure that will unlock new homes in areas of the greatest housing need. Each bid for funding is assessed against the published criteria and the outcome of the assessment and feedback is provided to the local authority.

Housing Infrastructure Fund

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 26 February 2019 to Question 222600 on Housing Infrastructure Fund, if he will publish the (a) timescale and (b) remit of the evaluation of the Housing Infrastructure Fund.

James Brokenshire: The Housing Monitoring and Evaluation Strategy, published on 28 January 2019, sets out why monitoring and robust evaluation is important. The Housing Infrastructure Fund is a complex programme due to funds being directed at infrastructure to unlock housing. Reflecting this complexity, the department is currently developing the detailed evaluation plan for the Housing Infrastructure Fund, which includes determining the scope and timescale of the evaluation.

Leasehold

Sir Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to help leaseholders with onerous leases.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The Government is clear that unfair practices have no place in a modern housing market. That is why we are putting pressure on developers and freeholders to vary onerous lease terms, such as those with doubling ground rents. Some developers have introduced schemes to assist individuals which is welcome, but this support must be extended to include second hand buyers, and leaseholders proactively contacted. We are keeping a close eye on progress and will consider taking further action as necessary.We are also working with the Law Commission to make it faster, fairer and cheaper for existing leaseholders to extend their lease or buy the freehold. In addition, we have worked with Trading Standards to ensure there is better information on redress, and they recently published guidance to help leaseholders understand where to go if things go wrong, and how they can access support.

Private Rented Housing: Evictions

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department plans to record the number of Section 21 notices served to tenants.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The Government does not require landlords to record centrally that they have served a Section 21 notice to their tenants and we have no plans to make them do so.However, we collect data through the English Housing Survey on tenants’ reasons for moving out of a private sector property. According to the 2016-17 Private Rented Sector report the majority of tenancies are ended by the tenant themselves or by mutual consent,  rather than by the landlord serving an eviction notice.

Leasehold: Ground Rent

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to collect and publish data on the ground rents paid by leaseholders.

James Brokenshire: The Department does not hold this information, although individual deeds can be found at the Land Registry. The Government has acknowledged that ground rents provide no real benefit to the consumer and is committed to reducing future leases to a peppercorn. In addition, we are banning new leasehold houses, and making it easier, fairer and cheaper for leaseholders to extend their lease or buy the freehold, the outcome of which would be to extinguish the ground rent.

Councillors: Candidates

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Government response to the Disqualification criteria for councillors and mayors consultation, published in October 2018, when he plans to bring forward legislation to ensure that a person subject to (a) an anti-social behaviour injunction, (b) a Criminal Behaviour Order, (c) a Sexual Risk Order or (d) who is on the Sex Offenders’ Register will be disqualified from standing for elected office.

Rishi Sunak: The Government is currently seeking a suitable legislative opportunity to amend the disqualification criteria for councillors and mayors.

Ministry of Defence

Armed Forces: Employment

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress he has made on meeting the 2020 target for numbers of personnel in the armed forces.

Mark Lancaster: It remains a priority for each Service to meet the target for Armed Forces personnel strength in 2020 and there are a range of measures both already in progress and in the pipeline to improve the position. These include the introduction of the Armed Forces People Programme to modernise aspects of the employment offer including scope for flexible working and the Future Accommodation Model.Record employment levels and significant demographic changes contribute to creating a challenging recruitment environment for the Armed Forces. Whilst there are shortfalls in the trained Armed Forces personnel; overall the trained strength remains at over 93% of its target and, most importantly, we continue to meet all our operational commitments. We are working to address the shortfalls, continue to apply a range of measures to improve recruitment and retention and keep the challenge under constant review.

Army: Employment

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the effect of changes in the level of personnel in the army on defence capacity; and whether he has plans to review the financial incentives offered to army personnel.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Army has enough people to perform the operational requirements that help keep Britain safe.Financial incentives for all Armed Forces personnel are scrutinised and reviewed on a continuing basis as part of routine Ministry of Defence governance processes and as part of the Armed Forces' Pay Review Body (AFPRB) remit. Outside of the AFPRB, the Army, along with the other Services, retain the delegated authority to introduce short-term financial incentives, designed to either incentivise continued service or entry into certain trades. These incentives are kept under review.

Veterans: Commonwealth

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has held with counterparts in the governments of Commonwealth member states on the payment of compensation to African veterans of the Second World War.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Defence Ministers have regular discussions with members of the Commonwealth on a range of topics.

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit: Disqualification

Angela Crawley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, on what evidence her Department bases its claim that universal credit sanctions support claimants into work.

Alok Sharma: Evidence from international studies is clear that benefit systems supported by conditionality are effective at moving people into work, and that sanctions are a key part of conditionality. Transitions into work typically increase following a sanction.The Department has committed to doing an evaluation of the effectiveness of Universal Credit sanctions at supporting claimants to search for work in response to the Work and Pensions Select Committee’s report on benefit sanctions. This Department will look to publish this in 2019.

Department for Work and Pensions: Automation

Angela Crawley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 19 February 2019 to Question 220956, what the nature of the work is of the (a) 15 automations in use and (b) 11 automations due to go live in Quarter 3 of 2019.

Justin Tomlinson: The nature of the work DWP is undertaking, using intelligent automation, is to improve the way that we engage with citizens and deliver our services by:automating repetitive, manual processes in order to reduce errors and improve processing time; andautomating some notifications to keep citizens informed of the status of their claims.

Home Office

Migrant Workers: Pay

Steve Double: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the consultation on the £30,000 salary threshold will commence; and whether that consultation will take into account the views of employers and recruiters in the health and social care sector.

Caroline Nokes: The Government is committed to developing a future borders and immigration system that will cater for all sectors of the UK, including for those who make a very valuable contribution to our health and social care sector.The Migration Advisory Committee has recommended that we should retain the existing system of salary thresholds including the minimum £30,000 salary threshold for skilled workers in the future borders and immigration system. Such a threshold is an important mechanism to control who can come here.As the Government has been clear, we are launching a twelve month engagement process in order to listen to businesses and organisations on what a suitable threshold should be. We will consider the feedback from this process before making a final decision. We are also considering whether jobs recognised in national shortage should attract a lower salary threshold.Our proposals in the immigration White Paper, the UK’s Future Skills-Based Immigration System, were accompanied by a full economic appraisal.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department has taken to promote the EU Settlement Scheme to EU nationals resident in the UK.

Caroline Nokes: It is vital that the over three million non-UK EU citizens and their family members living in the UK understand how and when to apply under the EU Settlement Scheme.Official communications throughout 2018 pointed EU citizens towards reliable sources of information. Millions of people have already seen UK government advertising encouraging people to visit GOV.UK for easy to understand information. EU citizens can also sign up for official email updates, over 300,000 people have so far signed up.We are using all available channels to reach our audiences – like direct marketing, presentations, email updates, toolkits and webinars to name a few. At the end of March, a new national marketing campaign will encourage EU citizens to apply when the Scheme is fully open.No-one will be left behind which is why we are also working in partnership with vulnerable group representatives, local authorities and other experts to make sure we reach everyone.

Home Office: Smoking

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which of his Department's premises do not operate a no-smoking policy.

Victoria Atkins: The Home Office supports the right to work in a smoke-free environment. The Health Act 2006 and similar laws in Scotland and Wales ban workplace smoking.Home Office staff must not smoke or use e-cigarettes anywhere on Home Office premises including:• buildings, vehicles and land – this includes all walkways, access areas and car parks• outside entrances and exits of buildings• private vehicles parked on Home Office premises

Home Office: Staff

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 28 February 2019 to Question 223965 on Home Office: staff, how long each of the three contingent workers that have been employed in his Department for more than 24 months have worked to date to the nearest month.

Victoria Atkins: Of the three contingent workers who have worked in the Department for more than 24 months, all three have worked for 26 months, to the nearest month to date.

Home Office: Employment Agencies

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of February 28 to Question 223969 on Home Office: Employment Agencies223969, what the (a) start and (b) end dates are for each of the contracts listed in that Answer.

Victoria Atkins: Of the 7 resources classed as contingent labour and the agencies they are contracted through the start and end dates of each of the individual contracts is as follows: AgencyOriginal Start DateCurrent Contract End DateBadenoch & Clark20/01/201716/02/2019Alexander Mann Solutions05/11/201807/05/2019Hays Specialist Recruitment09/01/201730/03/2019The Artful Recruiter02/01/201818/01/2020Reed Specialist Recruitment09/01/201729/06/2019Reed Specialist Recruitment06/10/201725/10/2019Badenoch & Clark24/05/201706/07/2019

Home Office: Staff

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 25 February 2019 to Question 223140 on Home Office: Staff, if he will publish a list of the companies that are contracted as suppliers; and how many staff are provided by each of those suppliers.

Victoria Atkins: In response to the question please see below a complete list of all companies contracted as suppliers to the Immigration Platform Technology programme and the number of staff for each. Please note this is one less than the 345 previously quoted and is the figure as of 04.03.19. SupplierHeadcount6Point617Accenture57Atos1BJSS16CapGemini52Cognizant11Deloitte11Digi2al1FDM2Mastek78PA CONSULTING65People Source Ltd3TDCS30Grand Total344

Home Office: Staff

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 25 February 2019 to Question 223140 on Home Office: Staff, under which frameworks those suppliers were contracted.

Victoria Atkins: SupplierHeadcountProcurement Route6Point617DOSAccenture57G-Cloud and DOSAtos1Central HO Contract (IPIDS/Contain) -Originally via OJEUBJSS16DOSCapGemini52G-CloudCognizant11DOSDeloitte11DOSDigi2al1DOSFDM2CCS FWAMastek78G-Cloud and DOSPA CONSULTING65G-Cloud and DOSPeople Source Ltd3DOSTDCS30Contract not specific to the programme but is used across the Home Office for test servicesGrand Total344

Home Office: Overseas Aid

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for International Development on improving the transparency and effectiveness of his Department’s aid programmes.

Caroline Nokes: The Home Office is committed to improving the transparency and effectiveness of its Official Development Assistance (ODA) programmes and works closely with the Department for International Development (DfID) on best practice for aid transparency.From later this year the aid transparency advocacy organisation ‘Publish What You Fund’ will begin a review of all Government Departments ’ spending ODA, The Home Office will continue to work closely with DfID to act on the findings of this review.

Fires: Death

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment he has made of (a) trends in fire-related deaths and (b) the adequacy of future funding for the Fire and Rescue Service.

Mr Nick Hurd: The number of fire-related fatalities in England has been on a general downward trend since 1981/82, when comparable figures first became available, but have plateaued in recent years.Fire services have the resources to do their work. In 2019/2020, fire and rescue services will receive approximately £2.3bn in funding. At March 2018 the standalone Fire and Rescue Authorities held £545 million in reserves, equivalent to 42 percent of the core spending power.

Fire and Rescue Services: Staff

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the findings of Dame Judith Hackitt’s May 2018 Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety, what steps his Department is taking to ensure adequate staffing of the Fire and Rescue Service.

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the findings of Dame Judith Hackitt’s May 2018 Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the Fire and Rescue Service is adequately resourced to conduct inspections of residential buildings.

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the findings of Dame Judith Hackitt’s May 2018 Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety, what steps his Department is taking to tackle shortages in fire engineering expertise.

Mr Nick Hurd: Fire and rescue authorities have the resources they need to undertake their important work.It is the responsibility of fire and rescue services to ensure that they organise their resources effectively to deliver their core functions across prevention, protection and response.

Fires: Environment

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps his Department has taken to tackle (a) wildfires and (b) other fires caused by environmental factors.

Mr Nick Hurd: The National Fire Chiefs Council are responsible for driving work to further improve the fire sector’s approach to wildfire preparedness. They have committed to increasing the number of specialist wildfire tactical advisors across the country (from 23 to 35) and are developing a wildfires asset register so that Fire and Rescue Services can source specialist equipment more easily when required.In addition, the Home Office continues to support the sector by providing over £27m per annum for specialist capabilities, such as high-volume pumps, which are well used to combat wildfires.

British Nationality

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to section 66 of the Immigration Act 2014, what the timeframe is for his Department to undertake a review of his powers to deprive individuals of their citizenship for the period from July 2015 to July 2018.

Caroline Nokes: The first review of the power to deprive an individual of British citizenship under section 40(4A) of the British Nationality Act 1981, as provided for by section 66 of the Immigration Act 2014, was conducted by David Anderson QC, Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation. His report was published in April 2016, https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/518120/David_Anderson_QC_-_CITIZENSHIP_REMOVAL__web_.pdfMax Hill QC stepped down from his role as Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation in October 2018. The next review of these powers will be commissioned following the appointment of the new Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Brexit

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of negotiating a series of bilateral agreements on citizens' rights and other potential areas of common understanding with the EU in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Mr Robin Walker: The Government has set out a unilateral offer to protect the rights of EU citizens living in the UK in all scenarios, and has been urging all Member States to do the same for UK nationals living in their countries.Despite the welcome progress made by some Member States to protect the rights of UK nationals in their countries, there are other areas where the offer to UK nationals falls short, particularly in relation to healthcare. This is why the Government supported the objective of the Costa amendment on the 27 February, as a ring-fenced agreement would achieve our aim of providing certainty to citizens whatever the outcome of negotiations. The Government is now writing to the EU institutions seeking clarity on their position in regards to ring-fencing the citizens’ rights part of the Withdrawal Agreement.If a joint UK-EU commitment to ring-fence citizens cannot be achieved, protecting the rights of UK nationals in the EU would, in a no deal, ultimately be a matter for the EU and individual Member States. We are urging them to take all necessary measures to do so. The Foreign Secretary has written to all of his counterparts, and the Government is holding further urgent discussions with Member States to seek assurances on the rights of UK nationals in the EU.

Treasury

Brexit

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the effect on the public purse of a delay to the UK leaving the EU.

Elizabeth Truss: The Prime Minister has made clear that she does not want to see Article 50 extended, and the absolute focus of the Government is leaving the European Union on 29 March with a deal. We are currently focused on getting this deal passed by 12 March, and if that does not happen, the PM has set out the next steps. If Article 50 is delayed the fiscal impact will depend on the precise arrangements agreed with the EU at the time.

Film: Corporation Tax

Peter Dowd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish the film production companies in each geographical region that claimed corporation in the last financial year.

Peter Dowd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many theatres in each geographic region of the UK claimed corporation tax relief in the last 12 months for which information is available.

Peter Dowd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many video companies in each geographic region of the UK claimed corporation tax relief in the last 12 months for which information is available.

Peter Dowd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many television production companies in each geographic region of the UK claimed corporation tax relief in the last 12 months for which information is available.

Mel Stride: Details of the film production companies that have claimed corporation tax relief cannot be released because of HMRC’s duty of taxpayer confidentiality. HMRC publishes annual statistics on the creative industries corporation tax reliefs, including film, theatre, video games, high-end television, children’s television and animation. The latest release of this publication can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/creative-industries-statistics-july-2018 A breakdown of these tax reliefs by geographic region is only available at disproportionate cost.

Civil Servants: Overseas Workers

Peter Dowd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many crown servants abroad claimed foreign service allowance in the last 12 months for which information is available.

Mel Stride: The information is not held. HMRC bases its published relief values on expenditure amounts supplied by other Departments but does not collect information on the number of people receiving the allowances.

Professional Organisations: Subscriptions

Peter Dowd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will list the professional subscriptions that are currently exempt from income tax.

Mel Stride: The list of professional bodies where fees and subscriptions are exempt from income tax is available to view at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/professional-bodies-approved-for-tax-relief-list-3a

Company Cars: Taxation

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to tackle the financial effect of the introduction of the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure on company car drivers.

Robert Jenrick: As the Worldwide harmonised Light vehicles Test Procedure (WLTP) aims to replicate real-world driving conditions more closely, it is expected that reported CO2 values will increase. Through the review of WLTP and vehicle taxes, the government has engaged with stakeholders to determine the impact on tax liabilities and the UK’s environmental objectives. The review closed on 17 February and the responses are currently being analysed. The government has committed to publishing a response in the spring.

Aviation

Henry Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with the Department for International Trade on the importance of developing new aviation routes to new and emerging markets.

Robert Jenrick: The Treasury engages with the Department for International Trade on a regular and ongoing basis in support of trade in new and emerging markets, as well as trade with existing partners. The Treasury also engages with the Department for Transport on matters of aviation policy.

Taxation: Mediation

Peter Dowd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many FTE staff employed by HMRC work on issues related to tax mediation in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Peter Dowd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many cases dealt with by HMRC involved the application of alternative dispute resolution in the last 12 months.

Mel Stride: Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) is a voluntary, informal process in which an impartial HMRC mediator actively assists parties to work towards agreement of a tax dispute. ADR is one facet of a wider dispute resolution policy across HMRC. The following is specific information relating to the ADR function only and therefore only forms part of the dispute resolution landscape in HMRC. For the period 01/03/2018 to 01/03/2019 HMRC has received 1139 applications for ADR of which 515 were accepted with 69 awaiting a decision. There are 56 full time equivalents (FTE) employed directly on issues related to specialised tax mediation.

Tax Avoidance

Peter Dowd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many FTE staff employed by HMRC are working on issues related to international tax avoidance in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Mel Stride: HMRC’s work on tackling international tax avoidance and on issues related to overseas crown dependencies and territories takes place across a range of areas within HMRC; ranging from compliance activity, litigation through to policy making. The majority of tax compliance work relating to these areas takes place in its Customer Compliance Group. There are currently around 25,000 people working in HMRC tackling all forms of non-compliance in the tax system.This flexible resource gives HMRC the capability to effectively tackle compliance risks. HMRC officers are a flexible resource and may work on a number of cases involving several different customer groups’ behaviours and risks at any one time.As such it is not possible to say how many staff work solely on these two specific areas.

Smuggling

Peter Dowd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many FTE staff employed by HMRC are working on issues related to tackling smuggling in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Robert Jenrick: Border Force is responsible for tackling smuggling at the UK border. HMRC has staff that work closely with Border Force, and in the course of this joint working they will occasionally assist with anti-smuggling activity. HMRC is also responsible for the anti-fraud strategies that look to prevent the smuggling of excise goods such as tobacco, alcohol and oils, and for investigating smuggling offences. Given that HMRC compliance, analysis and investigation staff are charged with covering a wide range of activities, trying to identify the number who work on issues related to smuggling would require disproportionate effort. As a consequence the information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Bank Cards: Fees and Charges

Ged Killen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Government has plans to reform the cap on interchange rate fees for card payments introduced in the Interchange Fee Regulation 2016 from a percentage cap to a flat rate of 50p per transaction.

John Glen: The Government is open to hearing views on this issue, and digital payments more broadly, as evidenced by its call for evidence on cash and digital payments in the new economy. Amongst other things, this explored how the Government can best support digital payments. The Government will formally respond to the call for evidence in due course.